A Look At NYFW Backstage Makeup

if you follow me on Instagram you've seen my pictures from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week:

being able to attend the shows is an amazing experience but getting up close and personal backstage is always my fave part of the week. seeing how the professional makeup artists work to create looks with their professional makeup artist kits and products is incredible.

creating a makeup look for the show is done by the show's lead makeup artist. the industry's best respected artists are the leads for these shows. they collaborate with the designers and put together a face chart instructing how to create the makeup look. the day of the show several makeup artists work to recreate the look that will not hit the runway until the lead makeup artist passes off on it.

below is a face chart found at the August Getty runway show, lead makeup artist is Kabuki:

each makeup artist brings along their own kit stocked with brushes, palettes, powders, sponges, baby wipes, lotions, and whatever secret products they keep up their sleeves. naturally a can of Diet Coke is among the necessities:

often you will find palettes that have been created for the upcoming season. below is a MAC lip color palette that will not be released until spring. these colors were used to create the makeup look for the August Getty show:

what is most impressive about these artists is their ability to create a makeup look that looks so natural and flawless on the runway you can hardly spy a makeup line. they are true artists in the best sense. their palette just happens to be makeup instead of paints. below is one of the Pro Conceal and Correct Palettes by MAC. every color of the skin rainbow can be found for every skin type:

below are some of the new paint pots and shadow palettes that will be introduced by MAC for Spring 2015. lots of nudes and neutrals can be found in these palettes. i think this is also indicative of the colors we will be seeing in fashion palettes as well:

nail art is making a steady decline however nail shape is taking a step forward. the stiletto nail, a pointy tipped nail, is becoming more and more popular. to allow models to all have the same type of manicure the looks are created with false nails (press-ons) that are applied to each of the models prior to runway. yes, if was a shock to me as well to realize the models wear press on nails:

getting an inside look at the professional makeup artists kit is helpful in getting some direction in real life makeup. press on nails? not a bad option for one night only events. makeup colors should stay nude and natural and exact color match is essential for gorgeous makeup. sure, we may not all be profesh but we can get profesh results.

xo,
kristie